Abstract
By examining the issue of the thromboses and hemostasis disorders associated with
severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) through the lens of cross-reactivity,
it was found that 60 pentapeptides are shared by SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (gp)
and human proteins that— when altered, mutated, deficient or, however, improperly
functioning— cause vascular diseases, thromboembolic complications, venous thrombosis,
thrombocytopenia, coagulopathies, and bleeding, inter alia. The peptide commonality
has a relevant immunological potential as almost all of the shared sequences are present
in experimentally validated SARS-CoV-2 spike gp-derived epitopes, thus supporting
the possibility of cross-reactions between the viral gp and the thromboses-related
human proteins. Moreover, many of the shared peptide sequences are also present in
pathogens to which individuals have previously been exposed following natural infection
or vaccinal routes, and of which the immune system has stored imprint. Such an immunological
memory might rapidly trigger anamnestic secondary cross-reactive responses of extreme
affinity and avidity, in this way explaining the thromboembolic adverse events that
can associate with SARS-CoV-2 infection or active immunization.
Keywords
COVID-19 - SARS-CoV-2 spike gp - cross-reactivity - immunological imprinting - thromboses-related
proteins - thromboses - vascular diseases - bleeding
